House Concert Highlights 2021

Programme

• Borodin String Quartet No.2

Allegro moderato

Scherzo

Notturno

Finale

Artists

Rachel Hayoung Woo(Violin), Serin Baek(Violin)

Jisu Song(Viola), Angus McCall(Cello)

Rachel Hayoung Woo

Born in Korea in 1999, Rachel took up the violin at the age of 5 and joined the Purcell School of Music in 2009 with a full scholarship, where she studied with Berent Korfker for eight years. With her particular interest in German composers, Rachel has participated in masterclasses all across Europe where coaches have included Tanja Bender-Becker, Ulf Schneider and many more. She has also performed extensively as an orchestral musician in concert venues such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Royal Festival Hall under conductors such as Marin Alsop, Karina Canellakis and John Rutter. With a large commitment to chamber music, she aims to continue broadening her repertoire experienced from a various combination of instruments. She is currently a scholarship student at the Royal Academy of Music studying under Joshua Fisher.

Serin Baek

Graduated from Yonsei University with First class honors and graduated from Royal Academy of Music with Distinction master's degree. She was offered the ABRSM Scholarship (A full scholarship officially sponsored by Queen Elizabeth including living expenses) during her studies and has once again received First class honors with high Distinction mark (the highest mark). She also has been awarded Diploma of Royal Academy of Music (DipRAM), an institutional prize awarded to student with outstanding performance in a Postgraduate Level Final Recital. Throughout her bachelor’s degree, she had not only been given the role of the concertmaster at the university but was named the dean’s list several times. Prior to her undergraduate studies, she graduated from Yewon school (middle school) and Seoul Arts High School, which are the most prestigious arts schools in Korea. Now, based on these academic achievements, she will further study her Artist Diploma at Royal College of Music. She is currently an ambassador for Benedetti Foundation and has recently done her own recital in David Josefowitz recital hall with YouTube live streaming performances in Duke’s Hall and Angela Burgess Recital Hall. She was officially invited to and performed at The Embassy of The People’s Republic of China, Seoul and has received a Golden Medal in Vienna International Competition. She also performed with students from Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music at Kumho Art Hall. She is the winner of Korea Young Artist Competition, Seoul Philharmonic Competition, Korea String Association Competition, Korean Chamber Orchestra Competition, Seoul Orchestra Competition, Eumakchunchu Competition, Sungjung Competition, and Music Education News Concours. She was also awarded at Osaka International Competition. Besides her various solo accomplishments, Serin Baek enjoys searching for a varied spectrum of music, not just being a soloist. She has collaborated with many major orchestras and instructors, including the conductor Myung-Whun Chung. She was invited to professional orchestras as a guest member and joined lots of programs. She also performed as a member of chamber music group and played as a school representative. In addition to these accomplishments, she has also performed in major concert halls in Seoul, including Seoul Arts Centre and Lotte Concert Hall.

Jisu Song

A violist from South Korea. Born in a musical family, Jisu started with the violin at the age of 6 and continued playing through undergraduate studies studying under Professor Neri Kim. However, she was drawn by the warm and sonorous sound of the viola and started learning the instrument with violist Steven Lee. After a year on the viola she was accepted into the prestigious Asian Youth Orchestra in 2017, where she embarked on a world tour and performed over 20 concerts in Asia, America and Europe. In 2019, she accepted her offer from the Royal Academy of Music in London to pursue a Master of Arts in Performance degree, studying under Professor Paul Silverthorne and Yuko Inoue. Being a keen orchestral musician, Jisu has performed with numerous ensembles over the world, including the RAM Academy Symphony Orchestra and USP Chamber Orchestra in South Korea which she is a regular member.

Angus McCall

Belfast-born Angus McCall is a successful solo, chamber, and orchestral cellist. Upcoming highlights include a concerto performance with the Ulster Orchestra in 2022 as well as a number of solo recital broadcasts on the BBC. He is grateful to the Arts Council NI and the National Lottery for supporting him as a Young Musicians’ Platform Award holder. Having graduated with a Double First Class Honours degree in German from New College, Oxford where he was both an Academic and Instrumental Scholar, Angus went on to graduate with a Distinction in his Masters at the Royal Academy of Music with Professor Robert Cohen. He is grateful to both the Royal Academy and Help Musicians UK for their generous scholarships. Professionally, Angus freelances frequently with the Ulster Orchestra, Northern Ireland’s only professional symphony orchestra, and has appeared in over 20 concerts to date. Other orchestral engagements include his appointment as Principal Cello of the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra in March 2020, as well as Principal Cello of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain in 2016. In his final performance with the NYO, Angus played the cello solos from Holst’s The Planets Suite in a televised broadcast at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall. Since graduating, Angus enjoys a busy freelancing career in London, recording and performing with professional ensembles such as Orchestra for the Earth. An ardent chamber player, Angus is a member of the Oxford-based Wykeham Piano Trio, ensemble-in-residence at New College, Oxford. A diverse and forward-thinking musician, Angus has collaborated with musicians from numerous genres, most recently playing with popular rock band And So I Watch You From Afar, as well as in concerts with foremost West End stars. He has recently developed a partnership with the Humanities Department at Oxford University and is designing a series of poetry and music events linked with foremost prize-winning German poet, Jan Wagner. Angus enjoyed early success and was named Northern Ireland Young Musician of the Year in 2014 and gained early leadership experience as Principal Cello of ensembles such as the Ulster Youth Orchestra and City of Belfast Youth Orchestra, with whom he performed Popper’s Hungarian Rhapsody as soloist on their tour of the United States. Angus has benefited from a host of inspirational teachers such as Josephine Knight, Piatti Chair of Cello at the Royal Academy of Music, Tim Hugh, Principal Cellist of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, and William Butt, Professor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, as well as with Professor Gotthard Popp, at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf.

*The event is free of charge, but booking is essential.

* Please bear in mind that tickets are on a first come, first served basis.

* Please arrive between 6.30-6.50 if possible so you can be seated when the performance begins.